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Judge orders motel closed

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A judge has ordered a South Los Angeles motel shuttered for a year, after the owner failed to comply with an injunction intended to curb gang and narcotics activity there, City Attorney Mike Feuer announced Thursday.

The Bronco Hotel at 5501 S. Western Ave. is expected to be closed within the next 60 days.

Feuer, who sought the closure order, said the motel’s owner, Vaidehi Inc., is under a permanent injunction beginning last June that requires the installation of a secure, mechanized gate at the main entrance to restrict gang members and drug sellers and buyers from going onto the property.

Superior Court Judge John Doyle found that the owner repeatedly violated the injunction through failing to install the gate as specified and not regulating parking. Investigators also found that a video camera was disabled, allegedly to hide the gate violation.

“When we secured an injunction to stop the rampant criminal activity associated with this motel, we expected the owner to comply,” Feuer said.

“That’s what the neighborhood deserves. So when the owner failed to follow through, we insisted the property be closed.  This community deserves to be safe.”

The 33-room motel was allegedly used by 55 Neighborhood Crips gang members to conduct drug sales, and has been the site of gun-related arrests, a gang-related homicide and a shooting, according to the City Attorney’s Office.

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